Physiotherapy

Nabil Tarazi

Nabil is co-owner and co-founder of the Aquatic Centre Physiotherapy. He completed his Physiotherapy degree at McGill University in 1991. He has now over 20 years of experience in private practice treating a variety of orthopaedic and sports injuries.
Nabil’s treatment philosophy will always incorporate postural re-education, education on injury prevention, manual therapy and exercise rehabilitation.
Nabil has a special interest in exercise prescription, gym programs and is dedicated to home care treatments on the North Shore from Deep Cove to Lions Bay.

Chrys Gonidakis

Chrys Gonidakis is co-owner and co-founder of the Aquatic Centre Physiotherapy. She graduated from McGill University in 1991.
Chrys has extensive experience in Orthopaedic and Sports injuries rehabilitation. She also has experience and special interest in pelvic floor treatments and urinary incontinence rehabilitation.
Chrys’ treatment approach incorporates manual therapy, patient education and exercise prescription. Chrys provides Physiotherapy treatments in home setting upon request within the entire North Shore.

Jacqueline Steinberg

Jacqui has 25 years experience in physiotherapy, specializing in orthopedics & sports injuries. With extensive experience in work conditioning programs, functional testing, job site assessments and training for return to work and sports she has worked in private practice, home care, a hand clinic and geriatric environments.
After qualifying with a degree in physiotherapy at the University of Cape Town in South Africa she re-qualified as a Canadian physiotherapist in 1990 and subsequently qualified in Acupuncture through AFCI.
In South Africa she studied and worked under the guidance of a leading sports medicine physician. Complimenting this experience Jacqui has been a trainer for a first league rugby team and worked on medical teams for various summer and winter games. She gives regular talks to running groups. As an avid runner she recently completed the Boston marathon.
She has completed many courses in treatment and prevention of running injuries and is considered a specialist through “The Running Clinic” (see below).
Post graduate study includes courses in orthopedics, orthotic prescription, sports injuries, functional testing, job demands analysis, ergonomic analysis and intervention, Pilates for physiotherapists and yoga practice for physiotherapy. She has her sport level one and sports responder certificate.

Candace McCurdy

Registered Physiotherapist, BScPT, Certified Neurac Provider/Instructor, CAFCI Acupuncture Certified, Chan Gunn IMS Practitioner
Candace's philosophies are centered on approaches dealing with the whole body and movement mechanics, primarily using the Redcord Neurac system and techniques. Treatments focus on finding and addressing the identified weak links, allowing people to get back to a pain free life with full mobility. She believes in educating people on how to use proper movement to fix their bodies. Her active one on one treatments get the right muscles firing, for the right amount at the right time.
Prior to studying physiotherapy Candace worked as ski patroller and wilderness guide specializing in back country skiing and expedition rafting. She is actively involved in mountain biking, kite boarding, sailing, hiking, running, downhill and backcountry skiing. Her constant involvement in sport and activity give her a true understanding of the importance of movement and mobility.

Denise Morbey

Denise is the co-owner of Oceanwalk Physiotherapy and Aquatic Centre Physiotherapy. She brings over 20 years of clinical experience to her practice specializing in both manual and manipulative therapy as well as developing extensive expertise in the area of sacroiliac and musculoskeletal dysfunction. Along with her strong manual therapy skill, Denise also utilizes the treatment of IMS (intramuscular stimulation) to address neuropathic pain and pain due to shortened muscles. IMS is a modern form of acupuncture that was developed at the Gunn Institute in Vancouver and is currently taught at UBC. Denise utilizes the principle of pilates to enhance the active rehabilitation programs individually designed for her clients.
In addition to Denise’s clinical experience, Denise also uses the principles of Pilates to reduce compression on vertebral joints, strengthen the core and improve overall muscular balance. Her extensive sport physiotherapy experiences earned her the position of Deputy Venue Medical Supervisor for the Figure Skating venue at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has also worked as a team therapist for local and national teams including the position as a physiotherapist for the 2001 World Figure Skating Championships, 2008 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, and 2009 ISU Grand Prix.
As an avid triathlete (Ironman 2003), Denise has developed a sub-specialty working with triathletes and runners including treatment of acute and chronic injuries as well as injury prevention. Both clinical and personal experience has helped Denise to develop her skills to assess running biomechanical errors, improving speed and reducing injuries utilizing video analysis. Denise is a yearly lecturer with the Sun Run-In-Training programs.

Laura Andrews

Laura was born and raised in England, moved to Canada in 1987 and became a Canadian Citizen in 1995, the same year she completed her Physiotherapy degree at UBC. She attained her Certificate in Sport physiotherapy 2004 and has worked extensively with Rugby over the years at the club level along with working and traveling with B.C. and National rugby teams. She also spent 8 year as Physiotherapist to the B.C. and Canadian Netball teams. She has been co-Chairperson and Treasurer of the Sport Physiotherapy B.C. committee and is still an active member of the Meraloma Athletic Club executive committee. She considers one of the greatest highlights of her career so far to be the opportunity to work at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, at the Women's Ice Hockey venue.
Laura's physiotherapy career has been varied and continues to evolve, with her enjoying working with patients of all ages and abilities. She has enjoyed working with varied caseloads over the last 22 years including patients with Orthopaedic, Sports and Neurological injuries, along with return to work programs. Through her experience working with sports teams, she has continued to have a keen interest in sports injuries, and in particular return to sport (and all activity) after mild traumatic brain injuries (concussions). She takes an active approach to her treatment, with a focus on injury prevention and patient education. She has received education in the treatment of BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) and vestibular issues; and more recently she completed the Level 1 in Functional Dry Needling (FDN 1). This type of dry needling is similar to IMS, but works primarily by loosening bands of tight muscle and decreasing trigger point activity. Laura is also a certified physical/functional capacity evaluator
Her early participation and love of sports, especially track and field, netball, field hockey and downhill skiing, set the stage for an active lifestyle. This has included playing soccer for almost 20 years, playing squash and recreational downhill ski racing, along with running, cycling and, in more recent year completing a marathon, 2 triathlons, and a number of cycling events (the ride to conquer cancer 5 times and 2 grand fondos). She loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking the north shore trails, all year round.

Registered Massage Therapy

Sylvia Leong

I have been a Registered Massage Therapist since 1995, a Certified Personal Trainer since 1998 & an Aquatic Rehabilitation Specialist since 2013. My continuing education has been extensive in rehabilitation exercise. Combining these professions has proven successful in helping my clientele to attain rehabilitation & fitness.
I’ve been writing for approximately 12 years, and have studied at Capilano University, Simon Fraser University & the University of British Columbia. I’m a published freelance writer & my articles have appeared in publications such as the North Shore Magazine & Vancouver Magazine. I’m currently working on a non-fiction book related to health & fitness, as well as a novel.
My physiology professor once said, “We are spiritual beings having a human experience”. That resonated with me & what I took it to mean was: our human body enables us to have this experience of life & therefore, it is important to take care of our physical health. However, to focus entirely on the physical realm of our being is to have pretty much missed the point of being alive at all.
A happy, fulfilling life is an equal balance between the seven dimensions of wellness: social, physical, spiritual, emotional, vocational, intellectual & environmental. Although I am educated to aid with the physical, I believe a balanced life comes from making time for all seven dimensions.
Formerly a gymnast, I now stay in shape running, cycling, rollerblading, weight-training & assembling IKEA furniture. I’m passionate about the interior design of small spaces. I adore yams, lattes & excellent wine. Another favorite pastime is delving into “story”, whether that be watching movies or reading novels. Otherwise, I can usually be found mincing words on my Apple. I live in Vancouver, Canada, high in the sky, with my husband.

Active Rehabilitation

Beth Canny

Having grown up in an active family and competing in a number of sports, Beth was drawn naturally to the health and fitness industry. Originally from Australia, Beth studied at Australian Catholic University completing her Bachelor of Exercise Science and with her interest in chronic disease/injury continued on to complete her Masters of Clinical Exercise Physiology. Prior to coming to Canada, Beth worked in a rural hospital as part of a large rehabilitation team for just under 3 years. Here she gained experience working with individuals with a variety of conditions and injuries and provided exercise prescription and guidance throughout their recovery.
Beth is passionate about exercise and it's evident ability to empower people of all ages and abilities. Her treatment approach is to provide evidence-based therapy via exercise prescription and education that is specific to each individual.